Coin-controlled apparatus



Dec, 2, 1924.

CL LEA COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1920 Invenior: & CharlesLea, 9M 5.

Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LEA, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOMATIC MER-CHANDIZER, INC., 015' BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

Application filed August 28, 1920. Serial No. 406,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LEA, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Boston, county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Coin-Controlled Apparatus, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like characters on the drawings representing likeparts.

My invention relates to coin controlled apparatus and particularly butnot eX- clusively to vending machines. I

My invention will be best understood from the accompanying drawings anddescription of a specific embodiment of my invention submitted forillustrative purposes, while its scope will be more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of my machine, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and i are sections on the lines 3-3 and l-4c of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 illustrates a detail.

Referring to the drawings, I have provided a suitable base 1 to which issecured a 30 hopper 2 for holding the articles to be vended, sucharticles being indicated in Fig. 1 by circles 3 representing cans. Itwill be understood however that my machine is not limited to cans and isadapted to vend other articles. In order that the contents of the hoppermay be rendered visible, I preferably form the same of wire mesh.Closing the hopper I provide a hinged cover 4 provided with a lock 5 toprevent unauthorized tampering with the contents.

Below the hopper I provide a casing 6 containing mechanism fordischarging the cans. This casing is formed in two sections, eachprovided with an end wall 6 and a peripheral wall 7. For securing thesections in assembled relation I provide the bolts 8.

Mounted in suitable bearings in the opposite end walls of the casing isa rotatable spindle 9 which provides a pivotal support for an articlecarrier 10 rigidly secured thereto. The article carrier comprisescircular end plates 11 having the arcual cutaway portions providing theradial walls 12 and 13. Supported by the end plates is a transversesheet of material having the portions 14 conforming to the circularedges of the end plates and a receding portion 15 which together withthe end plates forms a pocket 16 for receiving one of the cans. Forsecuring the sheet to the end plates I pref erably form grooves 39 inthe plates conforming to the edges of the sheet and after inserting theedges of the sheet, the parts are held in assembled relation by means ofbolts 40.

When the carrier is in the position shown by Figs. 1 and 4, the can willdrop into the pocket 16 and when the carrier is moved in acounter-clockwise direction to bring the pocket opposite the opening 17in the peripheral wall of the casing, the can will fall from the pocketand be caught by the platform 18 carried by the casing. For moving thecarrier I provide a suitable lever 19 fixedly secured to the spindle 9..For retracting the carrier I provide a spring 20 adapted to holdnormally the radial surfaces 12 of the end plates of the carrier againstthe pin 21 extending from opposite sides of the casing and supported bythe end walls thereof. For permitting the proper functioning of thespring I provide the end plate 11 adjacent the back of the casing with asuitable flange providing a cylindrical surface 22, about which thespring is adapted to wrap When the carrier is turned. This spring issecured to the'carrier at one end 23 and at the other end to the pin 21,which also serves as a stop for limiting the motion of the carrier whenthe radial surfaces 13 are moved into contact with it at the oppositeend of the travel of the carrier.

I provide coin controlled mechanism for permitting the movement of thecarrier from its normal position to its discharging posi tion. To thisend I pivotally support by means of a pivot 24 carried by the front endplate a movable member in the form of a lever 25 having an upper surface26 inclined to the inner surface of the circumferential portion 7 of thecasing. Connecting the lever and the casing is a spring 28 which tendsto hold the lever in its raised position. On the end plates of thecarrier adjacent the lever I provide the spaced lugs 30 and 31 whichcoact with a detent 29 carried by the side of the lever adjacent thecarrier. These lugs are provided with stop surfaces 36 and 37 adapted tolock with the surface 38 of the detent and provided with surfaces 39 and40 permitting the lugs to ride over the detent. The parts are soarranged to provide a space between the surface 38 of the detent andthesurface 36 of the lug suilicient to permit a limited initial.movement oi the carrier., The lug 31 I provide with a slot 32 into whicha coin may be dropped when th carrier is in its coin receiving positionthrough a slot 33 formed through the wall of'the casin Insertion of acoin at other times is prevented by means or the upper surface of thetug 31 and the upper surface of the flange 34, contiguous 'therewitl Theoperation of my device is as follows:

After the coin indicated at 35 in Figs. 2 and 3 is dreppec into themachine, the handie 17 is turned in the direction of the an row show-nin'Fig's. 1 and 3 and the lug 31 attached to the'carrier moves the coinwith diametrically opposite portions of its edge in Contact with theinner surface of the peripheral Wall of the casing and the surface 26 of"the lever. [is these surfaces are inclined towards each other, theinitial movement permitted by the space between the adjacent portions ofthe 'detent and leg 30 edifices to cause the surfaces to be separatedenough to cause the lever't'o be swung downwardly to move the stop 29out oi the path of the, lugs 30 and '31,- which permits the handle tomove the article carrier to its discharging position. After the coin ismoved past the end of the surface 26. of the lever it falls "to thehottom of the casing whence nia'ylbe removed through the door 38provided witha suitable lock. After this, if the handle is released, thespring 20' will return the carrier to its coin receivin position, thesurfaces 39'a'nd 40 of lugs 30 and 31 ridin "over the detent, If theoperator per- Inits thec arriage to rturn'slowly, a cam will fall intothe pocket of the carrier at a point intermediate the discharging andcoin re- C(BiVlH positions andbefo're the lug 30 moves past tiiedeterit, under which conditions, in the absence of the lug 31, thecarrier could again be moved to its discharging position withodt theinsertion of a coin. To prevent his provide the lug S1 with the stopsurface 37 which is so positioned to cause it to be engaged by the'detent in this intermediate position in which the carrier may becharged, I

will be noted that I have provided a locking mechanism permitting aninitial IIIOVGIHGIli] of the carrier from its coin receiving positionsufiic'ient to disengage the lock to permit the carrier to be moved toits discharging position and that bet-ween these positions afforded acharging position. 'Although I have described one specific embodimentof'my'inve'ntion it is to be under stoodthat I am not to be limitedthereby to its specific details and arrangement or" parts and thatextensive deviations from the same may he made without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Claims:

1. In avending machine, an oscillatory delivery member, a cylindricalcasing for said member, a locking pawl pivoted to said casing and havingan upper surface inclined to the surface of said casing, a part carriedby said delivery member and engaged by said locking pawl to normallyprevent all but a slight movement of said deliveiy memher, a lug carriedby said delivery member and projecting between the cylindrical wall ofsaid casing and said pawl, a coin slot in said casing and an alignedcoin slot in said lug extending therethrough, whereby when a coin isinserted through said coin slot it will enter said aligned slot and reston said pawl with its edge opposite said pawl in osition to slide alongthe cylindrical surface of said casing.

2. in a vending machine, a carrier having an initial position andmounted to move to a discharging position, a charging positionintermedthe first mentioned positions. coin crmtrollcd locking mechanismarranged to enforce the movement of said carrier to the initial positionpreliminary to its movement to the discharging position, and saidlocking mechanism comprising a singlepawl and a pair of spaced stopmembers cooperuling with said pawl.

In a vending machine, a carrier having an initial position and mountedto move to a discharging position, a charging position intermediate thefirst mentioned positions, coin controlled locking mechanism adapted toreceive a coin in the initial position, said locking mechanism beingarranged to enforce the movement of said merrier to the initial positionpreliminary to its movement to the discharging position, and saidlocking mechanism comprising a single pawl and a pair of spaced stopmembers cooperating with said pawl.

4. In a vending machine, a carrier having a coin receiving position, adischarging position and a charging position intermediate the two firstmentioned positions, and coin controlled locking means, including asingle pawl and a plurality of cooperating stops for locking saidcarrier in its receiving position and for enforcing movement of thecarrier to its coin receiving position preliminary to its movement toits discharging position.

5. In a vending machine, a carrier part having an initial position andmounted to move to a discharging position, a charging positionintermediate the first lucntioimlpositions, a casing part for saidcarrier, a movable member carried by one of said parts and having asurface inclined to a surface carried by the other, a coin receivingmemllll) her having a coin receiving position and adapted to be moved bythe operator to carry a coin with opposite sides in contact with saidsurfaces whereby to operate said movable member, locking means operatedby said movable member, said locking means having means enforcing themovement of said coin receiving member to its coin receiving positionpreliminary to movement of the carrier to its discharging position.

6. in a vending machine, a carrier memler having a coin receivingposition, a dis charge position and a charging position intermediate thetwo first mentioned positions, a casing member, a movable member carriedby one of the first named members, a plurality of means carried inspaced relation by the other of the first mentioned members and adaptedto engage said movable member in such manner as to prevent movementtoward the discharging position, one of said means being adapted toautomatically engage said movable member when the carrier is moved intocharging position and the other when said carrier is moved into coinreceiving position, coin controlled mechanism foroperating said movablemember to release said means, and means operative only when the carrieris in coin receiving position to permit the positioning of a coin insaid mechanism.

7. In a vending machine, an oscillatory shaft for ope sting thedischarging mechanism of said machine, said mechanism having a coinreceiving position, a discharging position and a charging positionintermediate the coin receiving and discharging positions, a pawl forlocking the carrier, a pawl engaging stop for preventing move menttoward the discharging position when the mechanism is in its coinreceiving position, a second pawl engaging stop for preventing movementtoward the discharging position when the mechanism is in its chargingposition, and means effective only when the mechanism is in its coinreceivin position for causing a coin to engage sai pawl and release it.

8. ln a vending machine, an oscillatory discharging mechanism, astationary member, a pivoted pawl, a part for engaging said pawl andnormally preventing all but a slight movement of said dischargingmechanism from its coin receiving position, a part constructed to hold acoin in position to rest with its edge on said pawl and to slide oversaid stationary member whereby said slight movement will depress saidpawl when a coin is inserted and release said mechanism, said mechanismbeing constructed to have a charging position on its return movement,and said part which is constructed to hold the coin also beingconstructed to engage said pawl in said charging position.

9. In a machine for vending cans, a hopper for said cans and having anopen end, a pivoted member having a recess constructed to receive a canwhen moved in alignment with said open end, a casing for said pivotedmember, a pawl pivoted on said casing, a part on said pivoted memberengaging said pawl, means for placing a coin on said pawl and forcing itto slide along said pawl in contact with said casing for moving thepawl. out of engagement with said part, and a second part on saidpivoted member cooperating with said pawl for ensuring the insertion ofa coin before said pivoted member can be moved to discharge a can.

10. in a machine for vending cans, a hopper for said cans and having anopen end, a pivoted member having a recess constructed to receive a canwhen moved in alignment with said open end, a stationary member adjacentsaid pivoted member, a pawl pivoted on said casing, a part on saidpivoted member engaging said pawl, means for placing a coin on said pawland forcing it to slide along said pawl in contact with said stationarymember for moving the pawl out of engagement with said part, and asecond part on said pivoted member cooperating with said pawl forensuring the insertion of a coin before said pivoted member can be movedto discharge a can.

11. In a vending machine, an oscillatory delivery member, a cylindricalcasing for said member, a locking pawl pivoted to said casing and havingan upper surface inclined to the surface of said casing, a part carriedby said delivery member and en gaged by said locking pawl to normallyprevent all but a slight movement of said delivery member, a lag carriedby said delivery member and projecting between the cylindrical wall ofsaid casing and said pawl, said lug having a part for engaging saidlocking pawl when said delivery member is in an intermediate position ofits stroke, a coin slot in said casing and an aligned coin slot in saidlug extending therethrough, where-by when a coin is inserted throughsaid coin slot it will enter said aligned slot and rest on said pawlwith its edge opposite said pawl .in position to slide along thecylindrical surface of said casing.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES LEA.

